1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to safety vests, and more particularly to a directional safety vest that facilitates rescues based upon different fluorescent colors provided on the front and back of the vest.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Garvey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,291, teaches a hunting vest having a base fabric material. Flaps are provided on the front and on the back of the vest. The flaps are specifically designed to have a camouflage color on one side, and a blaze orange color on the opposite side. The flaps are detachably attached to the vest so that either color is visible, dependent on the choice of the hunter. It is possible to configure the Garvey vest so that the front is a bright fluorescent color and the back is camouflaged, or vice versa.
Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,274, teaches an upper-body garment, such as an athletic jersey, that has a facility whereby its characteristic color may be changed so that a wearer while participating in a team sport may switch teams without having to change jerseys. The garment has an inner shell and an outer shell. The outer shell comprises front and rear panels having one color on the outside and another color on the inside which is the same as the color of the inner shell. The panels may be attached together over the shoulders when the one color is to be exposed, and the panels may be detached so as to hang down from a midriff section of the garment when the other color is to be exposed. The garment is designed such that only one color shows at a time.
Theberge, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,632, teaches a floatation aid useful for swimming instruction and which includes a harness and two floatation devices. In one embodiment the floatation devices are positioned over the chest and the lower back of a person.
Shelby, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,304, teaches a hunting apron or vest having a base material which is cut and fashioned into the general overall shape of the apron or vest, to which, over a substantial majority of the outer surface, is loosely attached a net-like mesh material. The purpose of the loosely attached mesh material is to form pockets into which game, food, equipment and other items can be carried while a hunter, or other user, wears the apron or vest. The vest may be made in any color or combination of colors for safety reasons.
Golle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,184, teaches a safety vest having a front and back and left and right sides each having a shoulder portion. An EL strip is provided on each side of the vest extending from the bottom of the vest upwards toward the shoulder portion. See also Golle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,183, U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,339, U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,127, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,138.
Stevens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,786, teaches an automatic, telescoping, buoyant identification device for use with a water sports life vest. A spotting pole, constructed of a buoyant foam, slides freely within a tubular main housing such that when the wearer becomes submerged, the spotting pole automatically telescopes from the main housing into the air. The identification device is colored in a manner such that it will be highly visible to approaching boaters.
The above-described references are hereby incorporated by reference in full.
The prior art teaches different types of vests which utilize color. However, the prior art does not teach simultaneously showing a first fluorescent color on a front panel and a second fluorescent color different from the first fluorescent color on the back panel. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.